Contract Hire leases are one of the most popular ways for new vehicles to be acquired in the UK today. This has often been the case with business vehicles, but more and more Personal Contract Hire agreements are now taken, perhaps in preference to the likes of retails finance solutions such as hire purchase or personal contract purchase (PCP). Why is Contract Hire so attractive? Well there are a number of tax benefits to businesses, such as ‘off balance sheet’ accounting, and the ability to claim at least part of any VAT back on the lease. However, the overriding advantage is simply that contract hire leases are often at a lower monthly cost than other styles of finance. You see leasing companies will often use huge fleet discounts to procure the vehicles initially. This means that the lease agreement can allow for very low monthly costs, as the vehicle will have a smaller difference between the original discounted fleet price, and its potential residual value at the end of the lease. Manufacturers offer attractive deals to leasing companies who can place a large number of new vehicles to a range of clients. The main difference between a PCP or Hire Purchase agreement, and that of a Contract Hire lease is simply that you never have the option to own the vehicle in question with a contract hire agreement. The vehicle is usually registered to the leasing company, and you do not have any option to buy as part of the agreement. Some people do not like the idea of never owning the vehicle, however all vehicles are depreciating assets,...

Nissan leaning on JATCO to solve CVT problems. Nissan decided to fit continuously variable transmissions (CVT) across it’s new models and this decision is proving to be a tough one. The Japanese auto-maker has been swamped with quality and customer satisfaction issues all relating to the CVTs that are provided by the supplier JATCO Ltd. We at Contract Hire Gap Insurance like to bring you the reader, the latest on what is happening in both the automotive and Gap Insurance world. Nissan are already under a considerable amount of pressure as a whole host of manufacturers look to challenge the Japanese brand in the electric car market. Manufacturers such as Toyota and BMW have agreed a deal which will see the pair develop hybrid and electric cars in the future and may even involve the pair manufacturing an exclusive range of models. The Nissan CVTs Jatco’s innovations in CVT performance in friction reduction and operating efficiency have helped Nissan cars rise to the top or near the top in fuel economy in their segments. CVTs are the standard non-manual transmission for every car and crossover in the Nissan-brand line, except for the electric Leaf and low-volume 370Z and GT-R sports cars. Because CVTs have no fixed gears, drivers do not experience the gear-by-gear stepping-up sensation of traditional automatic transmissions instead experiencing only a smooth and steady increase in engine revolutions. To an uninitiated driver, the transmission could sound like it is stuck in a single gear. The Nissan CVT complaints. The customer satisfaction issue mainly occurring is due to the customers’ unfamiliarity...

The European Blind Union (EBU) has called for legislation to be strengthened to protect vulnerable pedestrians from silent running vehicles at a time when car manufacturers are focusing on creating electric vehicles as part of the government’s plan to make electric vehicles the main source of transport. The EBU’s silent vehicles case. The organization warns that electric and hybrid vehicles could pose a risk to blind, partially sighted and other vulnerable pedestrians who rely on their hearing when crossing the road. They want electric car manufacturers to enable that drivers can not switch off alert systems warning vulnerable pedestrians that silent vehicles are approaching. Rodolfo Cattani, Head of EU relations at the EBU said up to 30million Europeans could be threatened as more of the low-emission vehicles hit the streets. The risk to vulnerable people’s safety is highest at speeds under 25mph as at higher speeds tyre friction makes the vehicle audible. However, a 2011 study concluded that the quiet running of electric and hybrid vehicles would only pose a “very small” risk to visually impaired pedestrians and the threat is no higher than standard internal combustion engine (ICE) cars at the same speeds. What will happen to the electric vehicles legislation? A draft EU regulation approved by lawmakers would require car-makers to build in an alert system in all silent cars built in the future. The device will be called the ‘Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) following a similar decree in the US. The EBU believes this to still be inefficient as though automatically switched on when the vehicle is started, the AVAS system can be...

Usually by the time that children turn into teenagers, they have learnt what the right thing to do is, especially when it comes to drink. Though it appears that a secondary school in Massachusetts shows more interest in district policy than a student’s good intentions, after she tried to assist her friend in need.Though many people out there would not want their children attending a house party where there is copious amounts of alcohol in any circumstances, though it has to be said that what this young girl did, was commendable and not punishable. She drove in her car to the party scene to pick up her friend who was too drunk to drive. If she were not to do this in the fist place we believe that, there is a chance the girl who had been on a night full of drink, could of attempted to drive home herself possibly causing an accident in her vehicle, or even an insurance company write off. None compare to the damage though that she could of done to herself if this had of been the case. Drink driving suspected but later released without charge Erin Cox, who is a Andover High School senior, recently received a phone call from her friend who said that she was too drunk to be able to drive home from a house party she was at. Erin, being what many would think of as a good friend, drove in her car to the house to pick her friend up, though she arrived there the same time as the police did. Erin was questioned by the police...

Lincoln, a brand owned by the Ford Motor Company, has produced the MKC as a new offering for the small premium SUV segment which is the fastest growing part of the luxury market. The brand is hoping this model will be key to increasing Lincoln’s appeal to the younger audience. The MKC styling was previewed in the concept shown at the Detroit Motor Show last January as well as being introduced in New York as the second of four vehicles the Ford Motor Company is counting on to revive it’s luxury brand. The MKC SUV details. Stand out design features include Lincoln’s signature ‘split wing’ grille and a wraparound tailgate similar to that fitted to the Audi Q7. Inside there is extensive use of leather and real wood trim with the audio system featuring THX surround sound and Lincoln’s version of Ford’s SYNC system. Two petrol EcoBoost engines are offered: a 240bhp 2.0-litre unit and a 2.3-litre version which makes 275bhp and 300lb ft of torque. Larger-capacity-engined models feature active grille shutters. The MKC is loosely based on the Ford Escape yet the design and parts are completely different to combat the fact that past Lincolns have been too much like their Ford ‘cousins’. The model being low and wide, with a sloping roof, optional panoramic sunroof and a prominent winged grille. The tailgate cuts into the sides of the vehicle, instead of the rear, allowing a long, unbroken band of tail-lights as a sharp crease undulates along the sides, giving the vehicle a constant sense of movement. The MKC will be built at a factory in Louisville,...

The Google Glass Claim A woman from California is thought to be the first motorist of all time, to receive a ticket for wearing Google Glass computer glasses, whilst they were driving. The woman, Cecilia Abadie, was written up under the road safety law that bans drivers from being able to watch television whilst they are driving, this is which law the officer believed that Ms Abadie’s wrongdoing fell under. Cecilia Abadie claims however, that the reality device, which is used to display information onto a tiny screen in a hands free smartphone like format, right in front of the person who is wearing them’s eyes, was actually off whilst she was driving. As a result of this, Ms Abadie is considering whether or not she should appeal the fine she was issued. Though, the ticket actually states that she was also driving at 80 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour limit near San Diego on Interstate 15. The write up from the officer said that Ms Abadie was driving with Google Glass, monitor visible to driver and was henceforth in direct dispute of the California Highway Patrol 27602 state vehicle code. The issue of the Google Glass Cecilia Abadie has said that the officer that had stopped her had said that wearing the Google Glass goggles could seriously obscure the view of the road ahead and henceforth was a risk to road safety. Though after Ms Abadie had posted on a Google + social network site that she had been fined for this offence, other members suggested that she may have an appeal case, due...

In global world news today, charities based in the uk have united as one in order to provide support and relief for those affected by the tragic typhoon incident that occurred in the phillipines late last week. The typhoon has caused absolute devastation and loss for around 10,000 people in the phillipines as homes were destroyed, accomodation, vehicles and their local city as a whole. The typhoon itself hit Tacloban city late last week and wreaked chaos and carnage in its path with over 10,000 people in the country feared dead and many others severely injured. The country has now been declared in a state of national calamity. What charities have united for victims of the typhoon? Numerous charities across the United Kingdom have recently all come together in order to provide help and support for those affected by the typhoon. The aim of the charities is to be able to provide food,water,warmth and shelter for the many in a bad state in Tacloban city. The charities that have united to provide this support are: Brittish Red cross, Action Aid,age international,cafod, care international, christian aid, Concern worldwide, islamic relief,merlin,oxfam,plan uk,save the children,tearfund and world vision. With the amount of heartbreak and tragic loss caused by the typhoon it is going to take quite some time for things to get back to the way they originally were in the Phillipines, but we believe that with the help and support of these charities united the country can get back to normal in a quicker amount of time after haazardous typhoon and weather conditions. Aid being provided for those affected...

In BMW news today we are happy to report that the BMW R1200rt has been officially unveiled by well known and loved manufacturer BMW. Over the years BMW have been very well known for their unique touring models of motorbikes, such bikes used for touring the world by celebrities and legends and consumers respectively. The R1200rt promises no difference for tourers. The only difference is the R1200 is set to be one of the biggest tourers put on display from BMW in recent years and aims to catch the eye of new consumers and current consumers as well. The specs and techs of the R1200RT Sadly not a lot of features and specs for the R1200 have been officially confirmed as of yet, but the ones that have been confirmed and we do know about are: It has a huge 1170cc engine allowing a massive increase in power from that of past BMW tourers. The exhausts have been specially fitted with a new valve control layout allowing a smoother and more perfect sound from the exhaust system itself. As well as many BMW tourers the R1200rt comes with 125bhp of power for its engine and race Abs and Asc traction as standard. It has a top speed of over 125mph, shaft drive, cast aluminum wheels and also comes well designed with a central spring strut at the front end of the bike allowing a smoother and more central suspension system. When is the R1200rt expected to arrive and for what cost We can report that the R1200rt will retail at a basic cost of £10,283 as officially...

There have been a number of recalls this year, usually based on a potential fault within a particular vehicle, though the most recent recall for Toyota, of over 800,000 vehicles, has spiders to blame. Spiders have set up home in the tubes and air conditioning units of some Toyota vehicles Though this may sound like a premature haloween joke, the spiders have actually been spinning webs and setting up home in the cars tubes and air conditioning units, causing a whole host of problems for the manufacturer and the customers of their cars. The public affairs manager of Toyota, Cindy Knight said that spiders have been implicated with the condition of the vehicles, although it is an extremely rare occurence, spiders can get inside the air conditioning drainage tubes and build their nests. The nests were blocking drainage from the car tubes, which could then lead to leaks. In some cases the leaks would actually drain on top of the vehicles airbag control units, which could cause airbag and electrical short circuit malfunctions. The recall was announced by Toyota last Thursday. A spider watcher actually said that it is easy to see why a spider would choose to inhabit such a place, it is warm under a car, aswell as being dark and damp. It is perfect. Two people had actually sustained minor injuries, as was described by Toyota when airbags didn’t deploy due to this problem, which has affected some 2012 and 2013, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry Camry Hybrid and Venza. Malfunctions relating to vehicle’s airbags have caused increasing problems to manufacturers throughout this year. They have issued...

A quick 15 minute shopping trip ended in a fine of £100 for a woman in Kidderminster who received a parking ticket for having the back wheel of her car, a little over the parking bay. The Kidderminster woman was appalled to find the parking ticket The woman said she was absolutely appalled to find the parking ticket stuck to the back window of her Saab after a brief visit to Kidderminster’s Crossley Retail Park last week. She explained that the back wheel of her car had only been over the white line by around a inch and she did not feel that a penalty was warranted whatsoever. The woman explained that she had quickly popped into the Retail Park Curry’s to collect something for her television and she was only actually in the store for 15 minutes. She said that when she came out into the carpark I had a parking ticket on my car because my wheel was parked about an inch over the line. She went on to say that she was absolutely disgusted and appalled. She said that if she had overstayed the two hours that she had paid for then she would fully understand but the wheel being over the line is just ridiculous. She also asked the question what if she was forced to park like that because the other driver didn’t leave enough space. She said that issuing parking fines for reasons such as this would put people off shopping at the Retail park. The Retail Park has parking for up to two hours at a time, for when the town wanted...

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Contract Hire Gap insurance?

Contract Hire Gap Insurance is a supplementary policy that runs along side your own motor insurance.

It ensures that if your contract hire vehicle is written off it pays the difference between your own motor insurance companies valuation and the amount that you need to be able to clear your financial liability.

Did You Know!

Did you know that the average vehicle with average mileage can lose up to 50 % of its value within the first three years alone. This can increase dramatically if your vehicle is expected to be high mileage.

Did You Know!

If your contract hire vehicle is written off your finance company will still have an amount that you will need to pay.

No matter if they call it a settlement, back rentals, or something else it is a physical amount that you are legally obliged to pay to clear your financial liability to your old vehicle.

Did You Know!

Did you know that if your contract hire vehicle is written off then your own motor insurance company is only ever legally obliged to pay you what your vehicle was worth on the day it was written off.